The Head of the Demon
by ijs1337
Summary: After escaping his life as Batman, Bruce finds himself drawn back to Gotham by his oldest and greatest adversary. A man he has long believed to be dead. And he may not be able to stop him this time. Post-TDKR. Please, review and comment. Rating may change as story goes on.
1. Prologue

**Note: Technically, this is not my first batman fic, but it IS my first Nolan-batman fic, so we'll just go with that. I also feel I have to apologize for the story's name, but I really couldn't think of anything else. A post-TDKR idea I came up with after seeing the movie. Please, review and comment. I own nothing relating in any way to Batman.**

The Head of the Demon

Prologue

Bruce was sifting through the mail he'd just brought in. It was all fairly ordinary. Bills, a few checks, a few magazines. There was something wonderful about it, the simplicity and

ordinariness of it.

He found one envelope at the bottom of the pile. Scrawled beneath his address and new name was the word 'URGENT.' There was no return address, and he didn't recognize the handwriting. He opened up the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. It was folded. There was something drawn on the front fold. His eyes widened as he saw what it was.

It was a bat.

He unfolded the letter.

'The world is too small for someone like Bruce Wayne to disappear, no matter how deep he chooses to sink.'

He felt the blood drain from his face. He remembered those words. And who said them to him.

"That's not possible." He whispered to himself.


	2. Chapter 1

**Note: Character-shift in this chapter, to Blake. In costume. Also, he doesn't actually talk. All talking in this chapter is done by one guy. Please, review and comment. I own nothing relating in any way to Batman.**

The Head of the Demon

Chapter 1

Blake looked down into the warehouse from an open skylight. Men below were loading all sorts of weapons into crates, then loading those crates onto trucks.

The guns weren't what he was used to. He was expecting he'd be dealing with a more dangerous class of people after becoming Batman, but this was a level of danger he felt he could not be expected to foresee.

He had seen three kinds of light machine guns fill at least five crates, and at least two crates full of RPGs and hand grenades.

He couldn't fathom who the men below him were.

No one in Gotham would need that sort of firepower. The only man who could put any of that to use was bound in a padded cell and straight jacket under 24-7 armed guard.

He noticed something oddly shiny in one of the open, still-being-loaded crates just inside the field of view the skylight gave him. He shifted slightly.

The crate was filled with swords.

Who were these guys?

He thought he heard something behind him.

He spun around and barely dodged a sword stabbing for his head.

He thrust his fist out, but his attacker moved out of the way with unnatural quickness.

Looking closely, his attacker looked like a ninja.

Three more men appeared form seemingly nowhere, and gathered around Blake.

Suddenly, an authoritative, if somewhat aged, voice rang out behind him in a language he didn't recognize.

The four ninja in front him sheathed their swords and went through the nearest door, back down into the warehouse.

Blake turned around.

Standing in the middle of the roof was another ninja, slightly shorter than the others, and judging by what little of his face was visible, far older.

"So. I finally meet the young heir." The ninja said. " 'The Dark Knight' is a popular nickname for you, as I understand it. Shall we see if you are as worthy of the name as your predecessor?"

Blake charged at him, throwing a handful of explosive pellets built to distract an opponent in the midst of a fight.

The ninja simply stood, and then sidestepped Blake's punch.

He grabbed Blake's arm and yanked it out of its socket, before lightly hitting him in the face and tossing him over his shoulder.

"I truly expected more than that. You're what he left in defense of this city?" The ninja said, sounding aghast.

Blake got to his feet and spun around in a kick, only to have his foot caught and twisted till it felt like his ankle would snap.

A kick to his chest sent him back to the ground.

" 'You must become more than a man.' That is what I told your predecessor when I trained him." The ninja said.

He grabbed Blake by the neck, hauled him up, and punched him in the face repeatedly.

He was too fast. Too strong.

"And he did. He became something more. But you, you're not even a man, compared to him and I. You're a child who has been given the tools of men transcended, and so think you have a place among them."

He lifted Blake higher, the tossed him down through the skylight.

When Blake regained consciousness, the ninja was standing over him, looking down at his face.

The ninja bent down.

"Now, go and find your predecessor. He has already received my words, but you, you shall deliver to him another message. If you or he still value the lives of the people of Gotham, you will not interfere. And to convince him of who I truly am…"

The ninja reached up and pulled his mask off, revealing a face Blake recognized.

It was face that littered reports and files left in the cave Bruce had directed him to.

It was the face of Ra's Al Ghul.

"And when he says that this cannot be true, I'd like you to remind him of something," Ra's said "That faces, voices, skills, and even ideology can be given to other men to safeguard the life of their true bearer. But that is something you know all about, isn't it, ?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Note: I really don't have much to say here. This may be another short one. Though it will have some plot development and another character. Please, review and comment. I own absolutely nothing relating to Batman.**

The Head of the Demon

Chapter 2

There was a knock on the front door.

Selina couldn't imagine who was visiting at this hour.

She got up from the couch, walked to the front door, and opened it.

"So, did you two make yourselves so hard to find out of some desire for security? Or was it just for kicks?" Blake asked.

Selina just stared for a few seconds, taking in Blake's visible injuries. A large, partially healed gash on his head was the most obvious, and the way he had his left arm positioned suggested something was seriously wrong with it.

"Going to invite me in?" Blake asked.

"Yes, of course." Selina said, slightly flustered.

Blake had barely stepped over the threshold before he spoke again.

"I need to talk to your husband."

"In here." A voice called.

Seline led Blake into the sitting room.

Bruce was in a couch in front of a dormant fireplace, propping up his head with his arms braced on knees.

"Would you like to tell me exactly what you're doing hundreds of miles away from the city you're supposed to be protecting?" Bruce asked.

"Telling you something you need to hear." Blake responded.

"And what might that be?"

"Ra's Al Ghul is alive."

That silenced Bruce for about a minute.

"That's not possible." Bruce finally declared.

"Look, I saw his face. I heard his voice, and I got royally trounced. Everything he did matches your descriptions of him in your files, Bruce."

"It's not possible because I saw him die. I watched a train car he was in crash into a Wayne Enterprises' parking lot and explode."

"I don't think that was him."

"What?"

"Something he said. I don't think you killed him. I think it must have been some sort of body double."

"No. That's-"

"What'd he send you?"

"What?"

"He sent you something. It's rattled you. What he'd send you?"

"He didn't send me anything. Because he's dead."

"He told me he'd sent you some sort of message. What did it say?"

Bruce went silent again.

"Something only Ra's would know to say to him." Selina spoke up.

Blake leaned forward.

"Bruce, I hate to ask for this-" Blake began to say.

"Then don't." "Bruce snapped.

"I can't beat him, Bruce."

"I couldn't beat him either."

"Maybe. But you know him. Personally. You know how he really thinks, how he really fights. You know things about him that can't be conveyed in computer documents and files. And let's face it, I'm sloppy at this game anyways. How many years did you train outside of Gotham before you came back to be Batman?"

"I was travelling for seven. I spent about one year being trained. By the League of Shadows."

"By who?"

"A bunch of assassin-vigilantes. Ra's Al Ghul ran them. They were dedicated to curbing societal excess of crime and corruption in very permanent ways."

"They kill criminals."

"More than that. You know it. Bane and Talia were members. They tried to destroy and entire city. And if Ra's really is somehow still alive, if he's got any members of the League working with him, Gotham isn't safe."

"He said… he told me to tell you that neither of should interfere in what he's going to do, if either of us care about the people of Gotham. Maybe he's shifted focus."

"He can't have shifted focus. I killed the man's daughter. He's not going to let that go." Bruce thought for a moment. "Thank god we haven't had any kids yet." Bruce added, looking at Selina.

"And why, exactly, should that be a good thing?" She playfully asked.

"He'd kill them." Bruce responded.

Selina quickly dropped her gaze.

"Bruce. I need your help. You don't need to put the suit back on. I don't need you to back me up. But I do need you to help me prepare, to help me be capable of stopping him."

Bruce got up and left. Without a word.

"There's a guest room on this floor." Selina said. "I imagine you don't have a hotel booked."

"Not really." Blake agreed.

Blake sat down on the bed in the guest room.

"He'll come around, you know." Selina said.

"I'm surprised you'd say that. I'd figured your reactions here would be reversed."

"Just because I left Gotham behind doesn't mean I'm not fond of the place. Or that there aren't still people there I care about. Same is true of him. He'll help you. It's who he is, deep down."


End file.
